


Hey Zuko, Are All Firebenders Hot?

by hopeofnyan



Series: Zutara Month 2 of 2020 [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Day Two: Winter, F/M, Firebending & Firebenders, Friendship, Gaang (Avatar), Gaang (Avatar) as Family, Gen, Holding Hands, Minor Aang/Toph Beifong, Mostly friendship, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Sukka, Taang if you squint - Freeform, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zutara, Zutara Month, Zutara Month 2020, slight romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:34:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23992366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopeofnyan/pseuds/hopeofnyan
Summary: The GAang is hanging out in the Earth Kingdom in winter. Amidst much teasing, Aang wonders if all firebenders are hot after Toph calls Zuko a human heater.
Relationships: Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Series: Zutara Month 2 of 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726894
Comments: 14
Kudos: 142





	Hey Zuko, Are All Firebenders Hot?

**Author's Note:**

> Day Two: Winter

Katara snorted as Suki, Toph, and Zuko shivered in the breeze. Winter in the Earth Kingdom was not even cold. She wondered if Aang would be complaining about the cooler weather if he was not regulating the temperature around him with airbending. Only she and Sokka seemed to find the Earth Kingdom’s winter agreeable.

“Honestly, what is up with you people? It’s just a little bit cooler than normal,” Sokka remarked.

“You would be cold too if you hadn’t lived on an ice block your whole life, Snoozles,” Toph retorted.

“Hey Sokka, I’m cold,” Suki said, giving her boyfriend a pointed look.

“That’s your cue to warm her up,” Toph loudly proclaimed when he did not say anything for several seconds.

“Um, here.” Sokka looked flustered as he took off his light cloak, draping it over her shoulders.

“Thank you,” she replied sweetly, pressing up against him.

“Hey Sokka, I’m cold too.” Toph shot him a devious grin.

“Well, I don’t control the weather!” he squawked at her.

“Here Toph, you can have my cloak,” Aang offered, holding it out so that it brushed against her arm should she choose to accept it.

“Thanks, Twinkle Toes,” she responded, grasping and pulling it on.

Katara shook her head at them, glancing to see Zuko’s reaction to their friends’ exchange. His expression was one of mild amusement mixed with a tinge confusion. The corners of her lips turned up a bit.

Zuko was sure he was missing something obvious but had no idea what it could be. Maybe he was supposed to offer Katara his own outer layer of clothing, but she had not said anything about being cold. Would it be rude of him to assume that she would want extra warmth too or rude to assume that she would not want it? He nervously looked at her, searching her body language and expression for some clue. Katara seemed to notice and take pity on him.

“Don’t worry, Zuko, I lived most of my life in the South Pole,” she assured him. “Winter in the Earth Kingdom is like summer at home.”

“Besides, even if she _was_ cold, she could just hold your hand since you’re a human heater,” Toph said with a laugh.

“How would you know that?” Aang inquired.

“Well, he’s a firebender. Isn’t part of firebending being able to use heat? Iroh told me he was able to warm up his tea without producing a flame, and I’ve heard Zuko mention he was able to steam himself dry when Katara offered to dry him off that time we had a beach party a few days before his coronation,” she explained.

“Huh, I never thought of that,” he said. “Hey Zuko, is it true that firebenders are all hot?”

A chorus of giggles and snickering came from everyone else aside from Zuko himself.

“Wh-why would you – ugh!” Zuko sputtered. “Yes, we all _generate heat_ ,” he added with heavy emphasis on the last two words.

“Really?” Suki said, drawing out the middle syllable exaggeratedly. “Katara, why don’t you hold his hand and tell us if it’s true?”

“You can’t just ask someone to hold someone else’s hand!” Sokka exclaimed.

Both Katara and Zuko’s faces were flushed in sync.

“Um…you can hold it. If you want to. If not that’s okay,” Zuko rambled to her, holding his hand out awkwardly.

“Are you sure?” Katara asked.

Zuko nodded in confirmation and Katara hesitantly slipped her fingers between his thumb and palm. The temperature was incredibly warm compared to an average person’s hand. She wondered if his hand had always been so soft.

“It’s…really warm,” she murmured.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I –” Zuko began to tug his hand away.

“No, no! It’s nice,” she assured him. “I mean…you don’t have to pull away.”

Katara was certain that she had never blushed so much in her entire life. Little did she know that Zuko had reached the same conclusion for himself. Neither of them seemed to perceive Toph’s smirk or Suki’s knowing smile.

* * *

List of Zutara Month 2 prompts [here](https://neurologicaldamage.tumblr.com/post/616498052307599360/alright-everyone-since-this-seemed-so-popular)

**Author's Note:**

> Did anyone catch the dialogue meme reference?


End file.
